Why honesty is always the best policy.

I’m a firm believer that no matter how difficult the truth is, it is always better than a lie.

I was recently in a situation where I had to either tell the truth and potentially upset someone, or lie and make the whole situation go away. And you know what? I told the truth. And the other person was appreciative of that. It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done.

And I know for a fact that if the shoe was on the other foot I would always appreciate the honest truth than an out and out lie.

Obviously the world isn’t completely black and white, so sometimes evading the truth can be easier, but again in the long run I do think it is better to be honest. But I guess if you aren’t asked a specific question you can’t lie if you don’t answer completely? It’s a very grey area, I guess it all depends on your own moral code.

This doesn’t mean you have to be mean with the truth though. First and foremost keeping the situation positive and as happy as possible is necessary. You will feel better for it, and so will the other party involved.

Also, being mean gets you nowhere in life. “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar” rings pretty true doesn’t it? Keeping the people in your life as happy as possible is much more constructive than being known as a mean person.

People will respect you more if they know you tell the truth.

This one is an absolute fact. Those who lie get known to be liars, and no one wants to be known as a liar. Those who tell the truth are immediately more trustworthy. You know any information you pass to them won’t be passed on else if they say it won’t.

Gaining trust from another person is vital to building and maintaining friendships. We all know a few drama llamas, and surprise surprise these people tend to be liars. And people don’t tend to trust them with their secrets.

You won’t get caught out telling stories.

Another biggy. The more you lie, the more stories you have to tell, and you can easily get caught out in the details. Even something small such as declining an invite somewhere because you’re doing something else. This leads onto further questions: what are doing? Where are you going? Who are you going with? Better to be honest and say you don’t want to go.

Getting caught in the act of lying is hurtful to the other party. And guaranteed they won’t trust you anymore. And that’s a horrible feeling. Also, if you get caught lying it is really uncomfortable and embarrassing for you too. Remember that next time you’re thinking up excuses not to go somewhere.

You will feel less stressed.

Lying is stressful! Even small lies hang over your head like a big black cloud. They drain your energy away through worrying. What if the other person finds out? Will I be in trouble for lying? You don’t need those kinds of thoughts in your head, better to speak the truth and remain stress free. Or as stress free as possible anyway.

The upkeep of the lie is also terrible. It may not happen within days, but eventually someone will ask a question and you’ll be caught out. Who needs that looming over them? Not me.

It is actually easier to tell the truth.

Concocting some story or reasons behind the lie is difficult. Being honest about whatever is happening is easy. No making things up, no having to think through the consequences or the details. It takes time and imagination lie about certain things. Time is precious.

The actual telling of the truth can be difficult, especially if someone’s feelings are involved. But it is how you tell the truth which softens the blow. Same with all my blog posts I feel that a positive spin can be put on anything. Someone has an awful new haircut and asks your opinion? You don’t have to tell them it’s horrible, find a positive aspect to that and work your response from there.

I guess I’m a bit of a dreamer. I wish life was easier for everyone. There would be no lies. There would be no stress. Everyone would get along and we’d all live happily ever after. I know that’s not possibly, but I do know that people can make the world a better place through their own actions. We are all responsible for creating a world which we want to be part of. Even if it is something small like telling the truth a bit more, this makes a difference.

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Published by onelittlehappything

Life has it’s ups and downs, it’s how we deal with this rollercoaster that makes all of the difference. This blog is dedicated to informing and educating you lovely readers on how you can make life a little bit easier, one small change at a time. Appreciate those little happy things.
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